Louisiana senators reject repeal of Science Education Act

Baton Rouge -- Senators refused Thursday to get rid of a Louisiana law that allows public school science teachers to use supplemental materials in their classrooms in addition to state-approved textbooks. The science teachers and students pushing repeal of the Louisiana Science Education Act said it creates a way for teachers to challenge evolution and teach creationism in classrooms.

File photoKaren Carter Peterson

More than 70 Nobel Prize-winning scientists urged the scrapping of the law that was passed in 2008. But the repeal was opposed by Gov. Bobby Jindal and Christian conservatives who said the law was designed to promote critical thinking and strengthen education.

The Senate Education Committee voted 2-1 against the repeal sought by Sen. Karen Carter Peterson, D-New Orleans. Several members of the committee weren't present when the vote was taken, but Thursday's decision was expected to kill the bill for the session.

Peterson said she would continue to pursue the repeal year after year, calling it "bad policy under the guise of academic freedom."

"This law is an embarrassment to our state, to our country and to our educational system," said Zack Kopplin, a college student who has led the push to jettison the law and has drummed up support from scientists around the country.

Gene Mills, leader of the Christian conservative group Louisiana Family Forum, said the law doesn't promote religion and doesn't allow for creationism to be taught in schools.

"It encourages academic inquiring in the classroom, and that is a laudable constitutional objective," Mills said.

Guidelines adopted by the state education board banned promotion of a religious doctrine in the supplemental materials and required that information presented by teachers be "scientifically sound and supported by empirical evidence." The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education didn't include a specific ban on the teaching of creationism.

The law still requires science teachers to use state-approved texts. However, it allows use of supplemental materials, chosen at the local level, on science subjects including evolution, cloning and global warming.

BESE can prohibit supplemental materials it deems inappropriate, but teachers and local school boards don't need BESE's prior approval to introduce supplemental material.

Russell Armstrong, a policy adviser to Jindal, said the law promotes the discussion of different views. He said repeal wouldn't benefit children or improve education.

While several opponents of Peterson's bill said the Louisiana Science Education Act was not about creationism, several who objected to the repeal challenged evolution as a scientific fact.

Education Committee Chairman Conrad Appel, R-Metairie, questioned whether any complaints had ever been filed about creationism being taught in schools since the law was passed. An education department official said no complaint has ever been lodged. No lawsuits have been filed challenging the Louisiana Science Education Act.